Mumbai: Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray, who was critically ill for the past few days, passed away at his residence ‘Matoshree’ in suburban Bandra on Saturday. He was 86.
“He had suffered a cardiac arrest. We could not revive him despite our best efforts. He breathed his last at around 3:30 PM,” Dr Jalil Parkar, who treated the Sena supremo, told reporters after emerging from Thackeray residence on Saturday evening.
Thackeray had been suffering from respiratory problems and pancreatic disease.
He is survived by sons Jaidev and Uddhav, who is the Executive President of the party.
Senior party leaders and Bal Thackeray’s nephew Raj Thackeray along with family and other political leaders rushed to ‘Matoshree’.
Meanwhile, security has been stepped up in the metropolis in the wake of Thackeray’s death. The police also made the mediapersons move to a distance from Matoshree.
Earlier, senior Shiv Sena leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi had said: “We cannot say that he is recovering fast. It is a slow recovery, but he is slightly better now.”
Sena mouthpiece Saamna on Saturday said that “Thackeray is recovering and there is no need to worry. Our warrior is fighting.”
Media persons and Sena workers stationed outside ‘Matoshree’ realised around 4 pm that there was some development as several senior leaders from Sena, BJP and other parties started arriving and police were seen to have become alert. (PTI)